1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coin feeder of a hopper type usually used in vending machines, game machines, coin exchangers or the like for dispensing coins one at a time from a hopper having a plurality of coins in bulk.
2. Related Art Statement
Hitherto, such a coin feeder is well known as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,433 and comprises, as shown in FIG. 4, a hopper 1 for storing coins A to be dispensed in bulk and a rotary disc 2 disposed in the hopper 1 and rotatably supported on an inclined support plate by means of a bearing (not shown) to be rotated about a rotating shaft at an angle to the horizontal within the hopper 1. The rotary disc 2 has at its central portion a central circular stage 3 of a diameter depending on a diameter of a coin to be dispensed and at its peripheral portion a plurality of coin transporting projections or pins 4 spaced apart in the peripheral direction to define coin receiving spaces on an inclined surface of the rotary disc 2 between sequential feeding pins 4. When the rotary disc 2 is rotated, each coin feeding pin 4 picks up a coin into the respective coin receiving space from a gutter (not shown) formed between lower portions of the hopper 1 and the rotary disc 2 and delivers the coin to the upper delivery zone of the coin feeder. At the upper delivery zone, the coin feeder is provided with an outlet device which includes an outlet chute 5 for receiving and guiding each coin pushed out of the hopper by means of the respective coin feeding pin 4 along a delivery guide which traverses the peripheral portion of the rotary disc 2 in a direction tangential to the upper periphery of the central stage 3, and an upstanding coin transporting duct 6 connected at the lower end thereof to the outlet chute 5 and upwardly extended for transporting coins to a coin tray (not shown) at a desired elevated position.
Such a coin feeder is recently used in coin collecting and supplying lines of game machines such as a slot machine for transporting coins or medals from each of a plurality of game machines to a coin hopper through a coin collecting conveyor and from the coin hopper to each of the game machines through a coin supplying conveyor.
Such a coin feeder used in the coin collecting and supplying line is usually continuously operated.